Kovar wins 2nd straight AOW honors

SUU thrower and former Burroughs standout Kayla Kovar earned her second consecutive Big Sky Athlete of the Week award after recording top-three finishes in both the shot put and weight throw at New Mexico's Cherry & Silver Invitational last weekend. Kovar had already met the Big Sky qualifying standards in both events during the previous indoor meet, NAU's Lumberjack Team Challenge, on Jan. 12.

CEDAR CITY, Utah — SUU thrower and former Burroughs standout Kayla Kovar earned her second consecutive Big Sky Athlete of the Week award after recording top-three finishes in both the shot put and weight throw at New Mexico's Cherry & Silver Invitational last weekend. Kovar had already met the Big Sky qualifying standards in both events during the previous indoor meet, NAU's Lumberjack Team Challenge, on Jan. 12.

Kovar leads the conference in the shot put with a season-best mark of 50-3.25, a second-place finish at the New Mexico meet, standing over three feet beyond the second-place conference mark of 46-10, thrown by NAU's Jessica Bush. A third-place weight throw mark of 57-9.75 at the Cherry & Silver Invite places her second in the conference behind NAU's Lauren Stuart (58-1.25).

The junior currently holds the all-time school records in both indoor events with personal best marks of 52-6.5 in the shot put and 58-9.75 in the weight throw, which she recorded during the 2012 season.

Kovar will continue to compete this weekend as she joins the rest of the Thunderbirds at the UW Invitational in Seattle, set to take place on Friday and Saturday.